I feel safe in finally saying it: Spring is here. And not a moment too soon, since the unofficial start to summer is on Monday!

Memorial Day weekend is synonymous with barbecues, boating and bocce, which, in turn, are all unfortunately synonymous with "no glass allowed." For many years, this meant that craft beer drinkers had very few options outside of macro-beers when heading to outdoor parties. But now that craft breweries have fully embraced the aluminum can as a valid container, your options have multiplied to almost anything your heart desires. (Actually, artisanal wineries are embracing the can, too).

I sampled through a bunch of newly released canned craft beers and here are some of my top picks for enjoying drinks outside this holiday weekend.

Firestone Walker Pivo

I know I just wrote a whole column about the return of craft pale lagers, but I can’t write about canned session beers for the holiday weekend without mentioning this fantastic pilsner from Firestone Walker (Paso Robles, California). “Pivo,” Czech for “beer,” is its homage to the snappy pilsners of the Czech Republic, with added influence from Italy, Germany and a healthy dose of American-style dry-hopping. When cracking open a fresh, cold 12-ounce can of Pivo on a hot day, it’s no wonder why this beer has been awarded a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival three years in a row. Light, crisp and clean -- what more can you ask for?

Zero Gravity Little Wolf

Zero Gravity’s (Burlington) first new addition to its can line-up is “Little Wolf,” an American pale ale brewed with oats. A balanced hand delivers Horizon, Mosaic, Citra and Cascade hops in a way that keeps this beer true to style, instead of bleeding over into the IPA category. The hops are tempered by a nice maltiness in the center, positioning Little Wolf right in the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale camp. These 12-ounce cans hit the shelves just in time for summer.

Rock Art Session IPA

If you do want to turn up the hops to IPA levels without sacrificing a low-ABV, Rock Art (Morrisville) has the answer for you in its “Session IPA.” The brewers manage to pack in 45 IBUs into this 16-ounce can and keep the alcohol content to 4.5 percent. Hazy golden-amber in color with a soft mouthfeel that’s dripping with citrus-y hops, this falls squarely in the Vermont-style IPA category. Its a nice addition to the Rock Art line-up.

Avery Liliko’i Kepolo

In 2013, I was sitting in the audience at the Great American Beer Festival award ceremony when Avery Brewing Co. (Boulder, Colorado) took a bronze medal in the fruit beer category for Liliko’i Kepolo. A day earlier I had been crushing pints of Liliko’i at Avery’s tasting room, so this medal was no surprise to me. I’ve thought about this beer many, many times since that day and was ecstatic when a friend said he would bring me some 12 ounce cans from Healthy Living’s Saratoga, New York store! (Avery is not currently available in Vermont.)

Liliko’i Kepolo, which translates to “passion fruit devil,” starts out as Avery’s Belgian-style Witbier called “White Devil.” From there, the brewers add 4.2 pounds of passion fruit concentrate per barrel (31 gallons) after primary fermentation is complete. The result is just a treat to drink. Lightly tropical, quite juicy without any bitterness to speak of, Liliko’i would surely be a crowd-pleaser at any outdoor gathering for both beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers alike.

Jeff S. Baker II is the Curator of the Curriculum for Farrell Distributing. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @aPhilosophyOf.